The Hottest Heartbreak Hairstyles

It seems every woman gets the urge to drastically change her locks after a breakup. After becoming suddenly single, these stars revamped their image and their attitude.

By
Katy Lindenmuth

Mar 31, 2010

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Jennifer Love Hewitt

Jennifer's super-poofy hair has always spoken, um, volumes about her bubbly personality. But when she and boyfriend Jamie Kennedy split a few weeks ago, she promptly set down the volumizer, reached for the scissors, and got herself a shiny new breakup bob. Survey says: The Ghost Whisperer star still looks fun, but infinitely more chic.

In April 2008, Anne simultaneously shed her signature long brown locks and her shady businessman boyfriend, Raffaello Follieri, after he was arrested on fraud and money-laundering charges. The debacle proved that she's one of Hollywood's rare quadruple threats: She can act, sing, dance…and crack jokes to Letterman about her unfortunate taste in men.

Her mane message: "This is like my makeover scene in The Devil Wears Prada…except with even hotter results."

Shawn Ehlers/Getty Stringer; Victor Chavez/Getty Contributor

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Rihanna

RiRi's never been timid about experimenting with her hair—it's been long, supershort, asymmetrical, streaked, bobbed. And as the smoke from the Chris Brown firestorm started to clear in mid-2009, she emerged with a style that's usually reserved for punk dudes and assorted America's Next Top Model contestants: a Mohawk. Some said she was channeling Woody Woodpecker, but we think they're just jealous of her seriously badass do.

Her mane message: "Rated R…for ridiculously awesome hair."

Gregg DeGuire/Getty Contributor; Troy Rizzo/Getty Contributor

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Reese Witherspoon

Nobody has done breakup bangs better than Reese Witherspoon, who showed off her fierce new fringe shortly after she and husband Ryan Phillippe separated in 2006. It was an edgy upgrade from her usually sweet look…and one of our all-time fave makeovers.

What is it about breaking up with Ryan Phillippe that sends women sprinting to the salon? Abbie wasted no time in lopping off her layered dirty blond hair and debuted a sleek bob a mere week after their abrupt split last month.

Her mane message: "Reese, call me. We have so much to talk about. PS: Love your bangs!"

Charley Gallay/Getty Stringer; Dominique Charriau/Getty Contributor

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Kim Kardashian

Kim lightened up when she and her NFL stud, Reggie Bush, decided to take a break last summer…but her change of hair didn't last long. For the record, we think she pulls off blond and brunette bombshell.

Her mane message: "Blondes have more fun…but since I'm a self-professed low-key homebody, I'll be dyeing my hair back aaany minute now."

Jon Kopaloff/Getty Contributor; Jason Merritt/Getty Staff

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Hayden Panettiere

The petite actress split from long-time love (and Heroes costar) Milo Ventimiglia in early 2009. If their 12-year age gap had pressured her to appear more mature and always perfectly coifed in public, maybe the flirty, shoulder-skimming style she nabbed upon becoming single was her way of finally letting loose.

Her mane message: "I know this is Britney's line, but…I'm not that innocent."

Jon Kopaloff/Getty Contributor; Frazer Harrison/Getty Staff

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Hilary Swank

Talk about hustle: On November 1, 2007, Hilary Swank's divorce from actor Chad Lowe was finalized. On November 2, millions watched as Oprah Winfrey chopped off nine(!) inches of Hilary's hair, which she then donated to Beautiful Lengths, an organization that makes wigs for cancer patients.

Her mane message: "I have two Oscars, a hairstylist named Oprah, and a heart of gold to boot. Divorce, schmivorce."